Sewing machine with means for stitching slide fastener stringers onto a relatively thick article

#1. Field of the Invention

#This invention relates to sewing machines, and more specifically to improved means to be incorporated in a sewing machine to adapt the latter for stitching slide fastener stringers to the edges of padded ski pants and other relatively thick articles bounding openings therein.

#2. Description of the Prior Art

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of the means according to this invention as incorporated in a twin-needle sewing machine;

#FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the arrangement of FIG. 1, the view being also illustrative of the way a pair of fastener stringers are stitched onto the folded edges of an article by the sewing machine;

#FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III--III of FIG. 2;

#In the accompanying drawings the invention is shown adapted for a twin-needle sewing machine whereby a pair of fastener stringers can be simultaneously stitched onto the folded edges of a desired article bounding an opening therein. With particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the sewing machine has a throat plate 10 through which a pair of needles 11 are movable up and down and which has a feed dog mechanism 12, FIG. 5, for feeding the material being stitched in a predetermined direction, which is leftward as seen in FIG. 2. The invention is specifically directed to the construction of a presser foot 13 supported over the throat plate 10 and to a guide 14 arranged forwardly of the presser foot.

#The pressure foot 13 is constituted of a pain of horizontally spaced sections conveniently supported at the bottom end of a presser bar 15 which is suspended from the arm, not shown, of the sewing machine. These two presser foot sections can be identical in construction, so that the following description of one of the sections applies to the other as well.

#Each section of the presser foot 13 comprises a main portion 16 of substantially rectangular shape extending in the direction of travel of the material being stitched over the throat plate 10, and a wing 17 projecting laterally or outwardly from the main portion 16. The main portion 16 has a horizontal bottom surface 18 which, when the presser foot is in the illustrated working position, is spaced from the throat plate 10 to such as extent as to permit one of a pair of slide fastener stringer tapes 19, FIGS. 3 through 5, to pass therebetween. The main portion 16 also has a front surface 20 sloping upwardly and forwardly from the bottom surface 18. Preferably, this front surface 20 should be suitably rounded, as best shown in FIG. 2, so that the stringer tapes 19 may be guided smoothly under the presser foot 13.